Reed attachment for piano-player devices



A. W. MEYER.

REED ATTACHMENT FOR PIANO PLAYER DEVICES.

APPLICATION men FEB. 20. 1918.

1,304,344. Patented May 20, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I @z%aa (ltkozmes;

H 81402441 0; Augusz lt Mgyelt A. W. MEYER. REED ATTACHMENT FOR PIANO PLAYER DEVICES. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20. I918.

1,304,344. Patented May 20, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

awuz-ntoz gusz 21 Myer.

Clttozneq m: umanm FEYERS to, Prlomu :wmsnmcmu. n. z.

AUGUST W. MEYER, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

REED ATTACHMENT FOR PIANO-PLAYER DEVICES.

Application filed February 20, 1918.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Anonsr W. MEYER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Seattle, county of King, and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reed Attachments for Piano-Player Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to player attachments for pianos and particularly to an attachment thereto, of a set of reeds and to means whereby these reeds may be operated through the actions which normally play the extreme upper and lower notes of the keyboard, the mechanisms employed being adjustable so that when the reeds are in action the piano strings for these sections are not sounded.

The object of my invention is to provide a certain number of reeds, representing preferably the notes which include or roughly correspond with the range of the human voice, and to operate these from the actions for that part of the key board which lie outside of the range of notes which are most commonly employed, the corresponding strings of the piano being at the time out out, and also to enable either these reeds or the strings of the piano with which the actions are connected, to be sounded at will, but not together.

Broadly stated, the object is to introduce into the music, reed efiects, along with the piano music, for this purpose employing certain parts of the playing mechanism which are seldom used, there being, however, no necessary relation between the notes produced by the reeds and those produced by the strings of the piano which these actions are designed to play.

The particular features of which my invention consists will be herein described and will then be particularly pointed out by the claims. In the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention as applied to a player attachment for pianos in the manner which I now prefer to employ. These illustrations will serve to set forth the principle of my invention and what I desire to claim.

Figures 1 and 2 are crom sectional elevations taken through the piano action and the parts of the player attachment by which the same are operated, difli'erent manners of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 20, 1919.

Serial No. 218,193.

applying my invention being shown in the two figures.

Fig. 3 is a side view of a short section of the reed box.

Fig. 4 represents a piano keyboard and indlcates the location of the reed boxes with reference thereto as preferred by me.

While I have referred to my invention as belng applied to a player attachment for pianos, it is evident that it may be applied to any kind of a player piano mechanism and this is to be understood as my intention. In carrying out my invention I provide a reed box and connect the reed sounding valves with moving members of the piano action in such manner that when the reed box is adjusted in operating position the movement of the piano action will cause the reeds to be operated and in conjunction with this, I have provided means such that the hammer of the selected portion of the piano action may be disconnected from operation by the rest of the mechanism, so that the operation of the piano action will have no effect to actuate the hammers and the strings of such notes as are thus thrown out of actlon will not be sounded. The particular member of the piano action with which the reed box is connected may be varied, as is found desirable or necessary. There are several ways of doing this, two only of which are shown, but these will illustrate the principle of my invention. My invention lies, not so much in the exact mechanism used, as in the principle embodied therein.

In the piano action, as herein shown, 1 represents the key. This acts through the abstract 10 upon the wippen 11, the latter having pivoted thereto at 13 the jack 12, which jack, when it is raised through the movement of the key, engages the butt of the hammer 14 to throw the same forward and strike the string. This construction is simply representative of a type of piano action which is in use. The player attachment has fingers 2 which project to engage with the end of the wippen 11, of the piano action.

At 20 are shown a number of bellows, each of which is connected, as by rod 21, with its particular finger 2. In the operation of the player attachment the perforated music sheet causes the individual bellows for the different keys to be actuated and thus to actuate the fingers 2- and, through them, the piano action.

3 represents a reed box, this consisting of a lower chamber 30 which is connected, as at 31, by means of a tube with. the air pumping or suction bellows of the player attachment. This. has a series of individual reed chambers or cells, 32, each connected with the common chamber 30 by means of an opening in which is placed the reed 33. Each of the chambers 32 is provided with an opening, as 35 in its outer wall, the same being covered by valve33, which is held down by a spring 34 and which has a finger or arm 36, projecting in position to be engaged to open the valve. When this valve is raised, air will rush in and cause the reed 33 to vibrate.

As shown in Fig. 1, the abstract 10 of the piano action, has a lug or projection 15, so placed as to engage with a lifting arm 36 which is attached to the valve, when the abstract 10 is raised. In consequence, this will cause the reedto; vibrate and sound.

The reed box 3 is h inged, as at 37, or in any other suitable way mounted so that 1t may be shifted or moved, in such manner as to remove the valve operating arms 36, from the position where they would be engaged by the lugs 15,01 an equivalent member. If this be done, as, by swinging the reed box upon its pivot, through only a small angle,

the piano action willvhave no effect thereon and the reeds will not. sound.

Thisshifting of the reed box maybe done through an arm 38, which, in theconstruction shownvin Fig. 1, is adapted to be engaged by a lug 41, carried by a rod40, which is actuated from any suitable mechanism, as by a stop suitably placed for use by the player to raise this rod when it is desired to throw the reedbox out of action. In the construction shown in Fig. 2, rod 400 is positively connected with the arm 38 and with an actuating lever 49. A separate rod 46 connects the hammer neutralizing bar 43 with a bell crank lever 47 which is connected by link 48 with the lever 49 by which the reed box is actuated.

It will: ordinarily be desired, when the reed box is thrown into operating position, to disconnect the piano action from the strings so that the strings will not sound. I have shown a means for doing this which is as follows. At 42 a rod or plate 43 is our naled uponthe rail 44. This lies between the rail and the j ack12 of the piano action. An arm 45 is connected with this plate and also withthe rod 40 of Fig. 1, by which the reedbox is controlled in position or with the rod 46 of Fig. 2. The position of these parts issuchthat whenthe reed box is swung inte, inoperative position the jacks 12 are allowed to return to their normal position, in which position they will actuate thehammers 14.

When, however, the reed box is returned into the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, this being the position in which it is in operative position, the neutralizing plate 43 is swung into such position as to throw the jacks 12 outward where they will not engage the hammer.

Such portions ofthe piano action as are controlled by this plate are thus thrown out of action, so far as playing the piano, but the essential parts thereof remaininposition to operate the reeds. Consequently, for this portion of the key board, the reeds will be played rather than the strings.

In Fig. 1 I have shown the reed'box. 3 as mounted on the lower rail 5. In some-cases peculiarities in the construction of thepiano or of the action may not permit itsbeing placed at this point. In such case it may be placed at some other point and in Fig. 2' I I have shown another location for the reed box. In this case it is placed upon the top of the casing which includes the player attachment. It is, however, operated in a similar manner through a rod 40, which is connected by means of suitable levers and other mechanisms with 'a manually con trolled stop.

In the construction as shown in Fig. 2, I have shown the fingers or levers 36,,which control the valves of the reed box, as being operated through a rod 22 which is connected with-the finger 2 ofithe player. attachment, by which the piano action is operated.

The manner of placing and operating-the reed box may obviously be changed. The principle of my invention is, however,- shown by the illustrations herein given and'chan-ges in location, which involve no change in principle, are deemed to be included in my inventlon.

One manner of employingmy invention would be to make the reed box 3 as shown in Fig. 4 of such length. as to include one orone and a half octaves at each end of the key board and to employ the actions intended for playing these notes for the playingyof the air of the composition upon; the reeds; This will bring out the air prominently and-"may be employed to produce veryd-esirable' effects.

It is not to be. understood that-the notes of the reeds correspond with the notes of the strings which are operated by like. fingers. On the contrary there is, orneed be, no relationship between them. The notes of'the reeds would be determined 'withoutany reference to the notes of the piano which; are cutout. Ordinarily the reednot-eswould correspond with or include the compass of the human voice and would be employed to produce a voice effect, as by playing the melody. The end sections of the piano key board are selected for the operation of the reeds, because in most compositions these are either not used or very little used, and may therefore be spared for other uses.

The use of this attachment involves the use of especially prepared music sheets or rolls. The side portions of the roll, corresponding in position with the notes of the keyboard which it has been explained are to be used for playing the reeds, are provided with perforations suited for playing these reeds. The position of these perforations is made to correspond with the position of the reeds, in a manner which would be understood by anyone familiar with this type of music roll. The perforations employed for playing the piano may occupy any and all parts of the width of the sheet, when the reeds are thrown out of action, but would occupy only the broad central band when the reeds are in use, while the marginal bands would then have the perforations which are employed for playing the reeds.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination with a player piano action, of a reed box positioned to be operated by a section of the player piano action, and means for adjusting this section of the player action to operate either the reed box or the piano action while disconnecting it from the other, the reed box representing a portion of the musical scale which does not correspond With that of the mechanically associated portion of the piano keyboard.

2. The combination with a player piano action of a reed box representing in compass a portion only of the musical scale of the piano mechanism, and associated for operation by a section of the player action which operates a portion of the piano keyboard which represents a portion of the musical scale differing from the associated reeds, and means for connecting this portion of the player action to operate either the reeds or 4. The combination with a player piano60 action containing jacks for operating the hammers of a reed box representing a group of notes, means for shifting said reed box from operative to inoperative relation with members of the piano action, a bar extending along the jacks of said piano actions and mounted to be moved to disengage said jacks from their hammers, and means connecting said bar for operation through the reed-boxshifting means.

5. The combination with a player piano action, of a set of reeds of limited range, means for operating said reeds from the mechanisms which actuate the hammers at opposite end portions of the piano key board, means for disconnecting said operating mechanisms from the piano strings When the same is connected to operate the reeds, said reeds and the piano strings which are operated by the same player action differing in their position in the music scale.

6. The combination with a player piano action of a set of reeds operable through the mechanisms which operate the piano said reeds and the strings of the piano operable by the same individual mechanisms being of different tones, and means for disconnecting either the reeds or the strings as desired.

Signed at Seattle, Washington, this 14th day of February, 1918.

AUGUST WV. MEYER.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatents. Washington, D. 0." 

